The Forge Muscle Car Show in Nashville

[Jim Severns]

Last weekend I attended a very unusual car show at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. This was an invitation-only show of the best of the best of American muscle cars. Here are most of the pictures I took.

1965 Pontiac GTO – Actual Riverside 500 Pace Car. One of 2 identical cars at the race. The other car was given to race winner Dan Gurney and no longer exists. This car was given to a ticket holder at the race. This was the first car ever to be fitted with Hurst wheels in 1964 and still had the originals. The car has 20,000 original miles and is unrestored.

1965 Hurst GeeTO Tiger. This car was given away in a contest. It has 59,000 miles. Except for an engine rebuild and body repaint, it is completely original and unrestored.

A 1969 Camaro Indy Pace Car.

1969 Shelby GT 500. One of only 335 69/70 Shelby convertibles made.

A Chevy Nova with a 427 Engine. According to the story with the car, it was originally a COPO car with a 396 engine. The original engine was defective and shredded itself. Still under warranty, the dealer didn’t have a 396 available, but did have a 427 sitting around, which went in the car. I’m guessing the owner didn’t complain.

[Jim Severns]

A 1969 Camaro drag race car campaigned by Dick Harrell Chevrolet.

A 1974 Trans Am followed by an interior shot.

A Dick Harrell Chevrolet funny car from 1969, followed by an engine shot.

[Jim Severns]

A late model Dick Harrell Chevrolet Camaro with a small-block 427.

My great nephew Christopher relaxing from the stress of looking at cars.

A diamond in the really rough.

An original 427 Corvette drag car.

One of the original Sox & Martin Barracuda drag race cars.

[Jim Severns]

Ford and Plymouth drag cars, circa 1968.

Would you believe a Vega built by Smokey Yunick?

The interior of a Corvair Monza Turbo, followed by a picture of the engine bay.

A 1970 428 Cobra brought by it’s original owner.

[Jim Severns]

This coupe is equipped with a Ford 427 SOHC engine. The engine alone is worth about $30k.

A Hemi Cuda.

An unrestored 1966 Charger and the sign with it.

1972 Plymouth Road Runner.

[Jim Severns]

1964 Mercury and interior.

1970 Buick GSX.

1970 Buick GS show car interior. This car was constructed at the factory for the purpose of turntable display at auto shows across the country. After serving that purpose, being a non-standard car, it was supposed to have been crushed. A Buick dealer from Ohio begged for the car and it was sold to him by Buick on the condition that it not be resold. While on vacation later that year, an unwitting salesman at the dealership sold it to a customer. It has been kept in this condition ever since.

[Jim Severns]

1969 Firebird Trans Am. This was the first year of the Trans Am with only 689 hardtops and 8 convertibles being made. One of the rarest muscle cars today. I have seen one of the convertibles.

1969 Pontiac GTO Judge. This color was called Carousel Red.

[BobHunt]

Jim, I used to work for Pontiac in parts. I delivered parts to body shops, and they had sooo much trouble getting those bird decals on the hood correctly. Sometimes Id deliver 3 or 4 to one body shop. They were expensive too!